The Bridal Candidate 1 (Heart Connections)

by Linda Verji

  "Not at all." She offered him a smile as she stood to pick up her 'Zoe' notepad from the vanity table. Handing it to him then going back to her seat, she said, "I hope my handwriting isn't too hard to read."

  "No, it's fine." He flipped through a few pages before his gaze met hers again. "I assume this means you also want me to be the one to break it down for her this time?"

  Her smile widened. "Yes, sir. It's time for you to feel my pain."

  Amusement dancing in his eyes, Damián shook his head. "She's not going to take it well."

  "No, she's not." Aiko chuckled. "But you're a big boy. You can handle it."

  "Do I have a choice?" he asked, smiling at her.

  His boyish smile melted her. There was something about Damián in a playful mood that tugged at her heart strings. Just like that, her body turned liquid and longing and she had the weirdest urge to kiss him.

  "No, you don't have a choice," she said. Her voice didn't even sound like her own. It sounded lethargic and sweet, like a trickle of honey.

  He must've noticed it too because the amusement faded from his gaze. His gray eyes gleamed with something like… desire as they drifted over her from head to toe, warming her. But all he said was, "At least tell me that you'll be in the same room when I'm talking to her."

  Struggling to calm her still racing pulse, Aiko managed, "If that's what you want."

  "It is," he said quietly. "When?"

  "When what?"

  "When do we talk to her?"

  Aiko murmured, "She's in her room now."

  Damián's eyebrows shot upwards. "You mean you want us to do it right now?"

  "Why not? There's no better time than the present." Her lips lifted in a smile. "Or are you scared?"

  WAS HE SCARED? No, of course not. The tightness in his lungs and the stiffness in his jaws as he knocked on Zoe's door were just symptoms of a healthy sense of self-preservation.

  Okay, maybe he was a bit scared. He was going into a war-zone here; he'd be a fool not to be wary. Besides that, this wasn't just about disciplining Zoe; it was also about confronting his own demons and fears. He was about to do the one thing he'd tried to avoid for the last seven years. Be the bad guy.

  Damián sucked in a large breath then knocked again. "Zoe?"

  There was no answer from the other side of the door.

  Trading looks with Aiko, he said, "Zoe, we're coming in."

  They found Zoe seated in the cradle chair and talking on the phone. By her casual clothes, it was obvious that she'd skipped school today too. Her gaze flashed in their direction, shadowed with irritation then moved back to the muted TV. Ignoring them, she said into the phone, "You mean he didn't even ask for me?"

  Flicking her fingernails, Zoe listened to the person on the other end of the line then said, "Fine, I'll come to school tomorrow. But he shouldn't-" She stopped speaking and turned her still annoyed eyes back to the adults in the room. Glaring at them, she pointed to her phone. "Some privacy?"

  Damián would've loved to say that he was shocked by her rudeness. He wasn't. This was classic Zoe - no, this was former Zoe. Things were about to change. He strode to his daughter's side and snatched the phone from her grasp. "No privacy for you."

  "Hey," Zoe shouted furiously

  Ignoring her, he pressed the phone to his ear. Not bothering to find out who was on the other end of the line, Damián said, "Hi, Zoe's busy right now. She'll call you later." And with that he ended the call then tucked her phone into his pants' back pocket. He told his daughter, "We need to talk."

  Obviously shocked, Zoe stared up at him with wide eyes.

  Taking advantage of her speechlessness, Damián launched in, "There are going to be some major changes in this house. Major changes. One; you don't ask me for privacy. I walk into a room and you listen up. Two; the kind of disrespect that you just demonstrated is not accep-"

  "No. Stop it," Zoe interrupted as she finally got her power of speech back. Pressing her palms to her cheeks, she repeated, "Stop."

  Damián wanted to stop. His heart squeezed in pain at Zoe's obvious distress and screamed at him to stop this madness. But Aiko's silent presence by the door bolstered his courage, reminded him that this was about his daughter's future.

  So he steeled himself and continued, "Two; the kind of disrespect you demonstrated is completely unacceptable. I expect you to treat everyone in this house with respect; no swearing at them, no ordering them around. Three; you'll go to school. Every. Single. Day. You'll attend all your classes-"

  Zoe closed her eyes and pressed her palms to her ears. "Lalalalalalalalalalala."

  Unfortunately for her, he was carrying Aiko's notepad. He tore out the page with the rules and set it on Zoe's lap. Her palms still on her ears, Zoe opened her eyes and glanced down at the paper. When she saw what was written on it, she let out a screech loud enough to wake up the dead, "No. No. No," before grabbing the paper and tearing it into several, tiny pieces.

  Damián swallowed hard before speaking over the din. "Tearing them doesn't mean you won't have to follow them, and it certainly doesn't mean that there won't be consequences if you don't."

  "Go away," Zoe screamed, so enraged the tips of her ears were turning red. "Go away. Go away."

  Figuring that that was probably the best course of action given that Zoe was in no mood to listen, Damián said, "I'll give you time to calm down, then we'll talk again."

  "I hate you," Zoe flung at him as he turned and started for the door. "I hate both of you. I hate you."

  Her shrieks followed Damián and Aiko as they left the room. Closing Zoe's door muted the din, but they could still hear her yelling as they stood out in the hallway. Aiko sighed, "Well that went well."

  "Yup!" Frustration pulsing through him, he ran his hands through his hair.

  Sympathy glimmered in Aiko's eyes. "Are you okay?"

  No, he wasn't. It felt like he'd been punched in the gut, he murmured, "I'm a terrible father."

  "No, you're not." Aiko was instantly in front of him, clutching his arm. "You did the right thing in there."

  "I'm not talking about today. I'm talking about all those other days." Feeling miserable inside, he said, "I've ruined my daughter. Just look at how she reacted."

  Even now, he could hear Zoe still screaming her dissent.

  "That's just temporary." Aiko squeezed his arm. "It will get better."

  "Will it? I-" He stopped speaking when he heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

  Seconds later, Gertie came bustling into the hallway. "Is Miss Zoe alright?"

  "Just a tantrum, Gertie," Damián said. "I can take care of it."

  Or so he hoped.

  CHAPTER 17

  Zoe's drama continued well into the night and kept everyone awake. Well, everyone except Seraphina. That little girl could sleep through a tornado. First, Zoe stomped to Damián's room demanding that he give her her phone back. When he ignored her, she rushed to her room and started throwing her clothes around. Aiko wasn't sure what she hoped to gain from that; after all, they were her clothes. The rest of the household went about their business, ignoring Zoe as per her father's instructions.

  When she didn't get the attention she was looking for, Zoe threw a vase at the TV in the upstairs living room, shattering the screen. This time Damián had to intervene. He dragged his daughter back into her room and locked the door. If she wanted to destroy something, then it would have to be her own stuff.

  Long after midnight, Aiko could hear Zoe throwing things around in her room and crying. In fact, she was beginning to worry that the girl might actually harm herself. Surprisingly, it was Damián who told Aiko to let Zoe be, but on her insistence he checked on his daughter anyway. After confirming that she was fine - and getting a pillow thrown at his face for his troubles - he locked Zoe in again.

  The din subsided at around three a.m.; they could only assume - and hope - that Zoe had tired herself out. Aiko expected Damián to come to her room. After all the drama toda
y, he probably needed to relieve some tension. She mentally prepared herself; even yearned for his arrival. As much as she hated being so weak to him, the thought of being in his arms again stirred her.

  But he didn't come to her room.

  All she got was a brief hug and a good night before he headed to his own room. Quelling her disappointment, she went to sleep.

  After the late night, anyone else would've slept in, but Aiko's internal alarm clock was like a siren. The moment the clock struck five-thirty, her brain blared for her groggy body to get out of bed. For a while she lay in bed, staring into space and trying to coerce sleep back. It was in vain; despite their heaviness, her eyelids refused to remain closed and her mind kept reminding her of all the things she needed to do today.

  Finally, she gave up.

  Her head felt like it was filled with cotton wool as she slipped into her running clothes. Hopefully, getting blasted by fresh, cold morning air would clear up the fogginess still inundating her. She was walking down the hallway when a door opened on the opposite wing and Damián emerged, looking sinfully handsome in his running clothes.

  He's late for his run, she realized as she strode towards him.

  They met at the stairs. His gaze lingered on her face as he asked, "Couldn't sleep either?"

  "Ye-" She cleared her throat to clear the hoarseness. "Yeah. My internal alarm clock wouldn't shut up."

  "Mine either." He started down the stairs. "Do you mind if I run with you?"

  She followed him down. "Not at all."

  In silence, they descended the stairs and strode through the door. Outdoors, the sun was rising and its light had a peculiar, dancing clarity that edged every blade of grass with silver. However, the air was as cold as liquid ice. It caught at the back of her throat and emerged from her mouth in puffs of steam as they jogged out of the estate.

  They pounded down the road in near-silent rhythm; the fall of their footsteps in accord. Even as her body relaxed into the easy rhythm, Aiko was painfully aware of Damián; aware of how easily he kept up with her, of his forearm and leg muscles shifting with each long stride, of each breath he took and released.

  Her heart was pounding, blood thumping through her veins. She suddenly realized that she hadn't felt this alive in… years. Ever since Lincoln died, it was as if she'd been living in cotton wool. Suddenly, that wooly blanket had lifted. The world seemed brighter, luminous, and full of life, color and movement with him running by her side.

  It was almost an anticlimax when they circled back to Colter estate an hour or so later.

  "Wow." Damián puffed out rapid breaths as they approached the gates. "I'm never doing that again."

  Similarly winded, Aiko slowed down until they were practically strolling. "Never doing what?"

  "Never running with you." He gave her a surprised look. "I didn't expect you to be that fast."

  "Why?" Aiko threw him an amused glance. "Because I'm a girl?"

  "No! Because, you’ve got all that." He gestured to her body.

  "Damián Colter!" She shot him a faux-irritated glare. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

  "God, No. I'm not an idiot." He laughed as he slung his arm around her waist. "I'm just saying you've got sexier curves than the girls I see running out here."

  "Nice save, buddy."Aiko's lips twitched in a reluctant smile as she elbowed him lightly in the ribs. This close, she could smell the faint hint of sweat mixed in with his exhilaratingly male scent. She could feel his lean muscled body pressing to the side of hers. And it set her pulse racing. Yet she managed to keep her voice even as she added, "And yes, I can run. Do you think I was recruited into the army for my good looks?"

  "I wouldn't be surprised."

  "Oh, wow! You're really laying it on thick, aren't you?" She grinned as her eyes fixed on Damián to find that he was staring at her lips. Her grin died and a little shiver went through her. Her lips suddenly dry, she licked her bottom lip. Damián followed the movement, his eyes hooding in obvious desire.

  His desire was enough to speed up her already racing heart-rate. It melted her, urged her to lift on tiptoes and set her lips to his. She probably would've done it - if it wasn't for the sudden hooting of a car from a neighboring estate. They both quickly pulled apart, and Damián's arms slipped from around her waist leaving her oddly bereft.

  Walking a distance away from her, he said gruffly, "I guess it's time to deal with Zoe again."

  "I can wake her up if you want," Aiko offered.

  "Nah." Damián shook his head. "After last night she'll be in a mood."

  He was right. The moment he pulled the covers away from Zoe, she started crying. She cried all the way to the bathroom when he told her that if she didn't get up he'd get Gertie to bathe her. The sobbing worsened when he told her that as soon as she came back from school she'd have to clean up the mess she'd made in her room, and that her TV was moving to the upstairs living room to replace the one she'd broken.

  Aiko didn't need to be a parent to know that Damián was affected by Zoe's crying and that his heart was breaking. She could see it in his tight-lipped expression and in his stiff posture. Despite it all, he didn't break or back down, and her opinion of him rose by several notches.

  "I'm taking you to school," Damián told a red-eyed Zoe when he, Aiko, Zoe and Seraphina sat down for breakfast in the dining room. "But Aiko will pick you up afterwards. Do you have any afternoon events?"

  Zoe shrugged as she glared at her untouched bowl of cereal.

  "I'll assume that means you don't." Damián continued, "I'll be home by six. I expect you to have cleaned your room and started on your homework. If you haven't, I'll take away your laptop."

  Zoe didn't acknowledge his words, but her lower lips trembled as if she was on the verge of crying. Fortunately, she didn't burst into another bout of tears but she didn't eat either. Damián kept her seated on the table until everyone was done with breakfast. The moment he released her to go and get her school bag, she exited the dining room with an angry huff and a slam of the door.

  "If she gives you any trouble in the evening let me know," Damián told Aiko as they stood between their respective cars waiting for Zoe to emerge.

  "Are you sure you'll be back by six?" Aiko asked. He'd always been so busy before.

  "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you then." He moved forward as if to hug her.

  "Uh uh." She shook her head as she snuck a glance into her car where an already-strapped-in Seraphina was busy drawing.

  "Oh, yeah. Right." He ran a hand over his hair as disappointment flickered in his eyes. "Sorry."

  She instantly wished that her probation period was over, and people knew that she was more than just a nanny to his daughter. Because then she could hug him as they both wanted. Quelling the emotion, she said, "I'll see you in the evening."

  With that goodbye, she entered her car and zoomed out of the property.

  Her day was so busy that she had little time to think of their troubles with Zoe or to make up for the hours of lost sleep with a nap. She was swamped with client meetings in between hosting two mixers - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Then there was the negotiations with Femi over which of the candidates would be the best nurse for their father. The sisters finally settled on Howard, the male nurse.

  Negotiations over, Femi insisted on grilling Aiko over how the conversation with Damián had gone. Not even Aiko's pleas that she had a client coming in could dissuade her. Surrendering, Aiko briefed her on everything that had happened and Damián's change of heart. Of course Femi preened and crowed that she'd been right. Aiko was too exhausted to argue that Damián was actually the one who'd started the conversation. So she let her sister have the victory.

  By the time she and Seraphina headed to Lowell School to pick up Zoe, Aiko's head had started a low thrum and her eyes were hooded, begging for sleep. Her headache intensified when one of Zoe's classmates told her that her future step-daughter had hitched a ride home with Shelley and Knox. Rubbing her temples,
Aiko dialed Damián's number.

  He picked up on the second ring. "Hi."

  "Hi." Leaning back against her car, she said tiredly, "Zoe left with Shelley and Knox."

  There was a long pause on Damián's end then he sighed. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."

  "Damián," she called out before he could end the call.

  "Yeah?"

  She felt compelled to say, "I'm sorry."

  "It's not your fault." His voice was as bleak as winter. Another heavy release of breath, then he said, "I'll see you at home."

  Barely an hour after Aiko and Seraphina got home, Damián zipped into the property. The car hadn't even come to a stop before Zoe was rushing out of it and into the house with yells of, "I hate you. I hate you."

  Aiko was coming down the stairs when the crying girl rushed past her, almost knocking her over in the process. Aiko's gaze followed Zoe the rest of the way up. Soon Zoe disappeared out of her eye-line and seconds later, slammed her bedroom door so loudly Aiko wasn't sure it was still connected to its hinges.

  Damián found Aiko still on the stairs. When she saw Zoe's red laptop tucked under his arm, she realized why his daughter was so furious with him. His tortured expression said that he wasn't any happier about having to confiscate it. Aiko felt an instant wash of sympathy for him, felt like she would do anything to wipe that stricken look from his face. Without a word, she led the way to her room.

  The moment the door was locked, they walked into each other's arms. Burying his face into her hair, he clasped his arms firmly around her back. She set her head on his chest and locked her arms tightly around his waist, feeding him her strength.

  She could feel the corded stiffness in his muscles relax as they held each other; felt every deep inhale and exhale of his breath quiver against her hair. Soothing her palms over his back, she lifted her face to his and their eyes locked. Then they were kissing.

  His lips closed on hers gently, tenderly and hesitantly, as if he was not sure she'd give him what he was seeking. She answered him by deepening the kiss and sweeping her tongue against him. His mouth hardened on hers, and she felt his desperation and despair in how tightly he held onto her. So, cradling his cheeks, she poured comfort into the touch of her lips against his and gave him every inch of caring she could.